The wind blew across the plains as priests of Astikar on horses surrounded them.

“Jessivel,” Tavis said in shock.

“We’re not going with you to Calathen!” Ayawa stated defiantly as Jessivel leaned over in his saddle. His long dark hair framed a firm face set with angry eyes that studied them both.

“No, you’re not,” Jessivel replied. “You are taking me to Gersius.”

“Never!” Ayawa spat.

Jessivel took a deep breath and leaned back, his eyes searching around them and stopping on the form behind Ayawa.

“And who is the girl?”

“None of your business!” Ayawa said with venom in every word.

“You never did trust me,” he said with a smile.

“You can’t be trusted,” Tavis replied. “You always did the bidding of the Father Abbot.”

Jessivel nodded. “Indeed, I do. I never question orders. I follow them. Like Gersius did until he challenged the leadership.”

“He only challenged them because they were too blind to see the truth,” Tavis replied.

“And what is the truth?” Jessivel asked.

“You're losing the war. The Doan have you massively outnumbered. They have siege engines, monsters, and tactics like never before. They also have spies relaying them information about your movements. Gersius knows you can't win, so he gambled on the only thing that could turn the tide.”

“The dragon,” Jessivel said dourly. “The one he attacked Whiteford with.”

“That’s a lie!” Ayawa shouted as she stepped forward to challenge him. “You know Gersius would never have done that!”

Jessivel nodded with a smile and looked passed Ayawa to the woman kneeling on the ground behind her. Now that Ayawa had stepped forward, he could get a good look at her.

“A priestess of Ulustrah,” he said with a slight smirk. “Do you know what the penalty is for sheltering a woman her traitorous order?”

“My order never betrayed anyone!” Gedris hissed. “We know the truth.”

“And we're back to what is the truth,” Jessivel replied. “Thankfully, we have somebody who can see it.” He urged his horse forward but came to a halt immediately as Ayawa blocked his way.

“You’re not going anywhere near her!” Ayawa scolded as Gesdris stumbled to her feet.

Jessivel lost his smirk as his eyes fell across her. Now that she was standing, he could see her clearly, and the crossbow bolt, she clutched with red fingers.

“Why didn’t you tell me she was wounded?” he said with a look of concern. “Devons!” he shouted at a man nearby.

The man snapped to attention and jumped down. He made his way quickly to where the three stood and put his hands out.

“Get away from us!” Ayawa barked with a knife drawn.

“I give you my word; he will heal the wound and leave nothing more,” Jessivel said.

Ayawa looked to Tavis, who nodded slowly, and she stepped aside, her eyes never leaving the man. She tightened like a snake ready to spring as the man carefully reached out for the bolt.

“This will hurt,” he said in a gentle voice as he took the bolt in his hand.

Gedris nodded, and the man yanked the bolt away. She let out a cry and tried to cover the wound as fresh blood poured through her fingers.

“Be careful!” Ayawa growled as Devon cast the bold aside.

“It has to come out to heal her,” the priest of Astikar said as he put a hand over Gedris's. He fell into a rolling chant, and a golden light flared under his hand. In moments he took his hand away, and Gedris carefully lowered hers to reveal the wound was gone.

“Now step back,” Jessivel said, and the man nodded and went back to his horse.

Ayawa inspected the wound and then glared at Jessivel as he sat impassively on his horse.

“Why are you helping us?” she asked.

“Because I am a seeker of truth,” he said. “And you are the only ones who can lead me to it.”

“We are never taking you to Gersius,” Ayawa growled.

Jessivel shook his head and looked passed her to Gedris.

“Priestess step forward and look at me,” he said.

Ayawa put an arm out to block her, but Tavis came to her side.

“Let her test him,” he whispered. “Something is going on here.”

“We read his orders,” Ayaway whispered. “He is to hunt down Gersius and Lilly and kill them both. He will say anything to get us to help him.”

“And his lie will be shown for what it is,” Tavis whispered back.

Ayawa glanced back to Gedris and lowered her arm. She turned to look at Tavis with a shake of her head. “If he lies, we have no choice.”

Tavis nodded. “I will burn everything to ash. None of us will survive.”

Ayawa motioned with her head to Gedris, and the woman stepped forward.

“You can see my aura, then?” Jessivel asked.

Gedris nodded but remained silent.

“Good, then you will establish the truth of my intentions. I mean none of you or Gersius, or his dragon any harm. I seek only to understand the truth of what has happened, both to him and the order of Astikar. If it is what I suspect, then I wish to help him with his quest.”

Gedris watched intently as he spoke and nodded when he finished. She turned and walked the ten paces back to Tavis and Ayawa.

“Well?” Ayawa asked as the tension mounted.

“He is telling the truth,” Gedris said. “Every word of it.”

Tavis let out a sigh of relief as Ayawa whirled around on Jessivel.

“Why?”

“Because I already know some of it, enough to know the Father Abbot is lying. He says Gersius went to Whiteford against his orders and attacked the city.”

“And how do you know that’s a lie?” Ayawa asked.

Jessivel smiled and leaned over in the saddle again. “Because I was the one who delivered the order for him to go to Whiteford. I was given a message penned by the Father Abbot himself.”

“You're the messenger he met with,” Tavis said, understanding.

After I delivered the message, I did some investigating. I followed Gersius's trail back down the road into the Greenwall. I found the slaughter of his men in the forest and was quite puzzled to see bandersooks. How did such creatures get so far east? And how did they find Gersius? He took a hidden path, cross country, where few eyes would see his passage.

Tavis and Ayawa glanced at one another and thought of the dragon delivering the monsters with the great cages. They kept silent, however, as Jessivel went on.

“That Gersius was found under such circumstances can only mean one thing.

“And what is that?” Ayawa asked.

“Gersius was betrayed,” Jessivel said flatly. “His mission was sabotaged and doomed from the start. The Doan were alerted to where he was going and told how to find him. That can only mean somebody in the order of Astikar told them. From what I understand, he only shared the exact route he planned to take with one person. The same person who knew where to send me to find him. The same person who lied about why Gersius went to Whiteford. The Father Abbot has to be the who betrayed him.”

Tavis and Ayawa exchanged uncertain looks, they knew all this already, but they were not sure what they could tell Jessivel.

“I also heard Dellain's report that there were no survivors. Gersius told me there had been one, and he was carrying word back to Calathen. It took me three days to find the body. He wasn't killed by bandersooks. He had his throat slit.”

“Dellain probably slit it himself,” Ayawa replied.

Several of the men behind him grumbled at the mention of the name. Jessivel nodded and took a centering breath.

“I have no doubt in my mind that is what happened. What I don’t understand is why? I can’t go to Calathen and confront the Father Abbot, and I can’t hide in the Commonlands pretending to hunt Gersius. I need to find him and meet him eye to eye and know the truth. Only Gersius can explain to me why the holy father has betrayed us.”

“We’re not bringing you to Gersius,” Ayawa spat. “You could be planning to arrest him.”

“I just stood the scrutiny of your priestess,” Jessivel said with a hand stretched out to Gedris.

“You are as close to a bounty hunter as the order gets,” Ayawa protested. “You will stoop to any tactic to get the job done.”

“And yet I just assured you I meant you and Gersius no harm,” Jessivel pointed out. “By the divines woman, I just told the truth before your priestess, what do you want from me to guarantee my sincerity?”

Ayawa looked at Tavis for help as Gedris hid behind him.

He set his hat straight on his head and looked up at the man on horseback.

“We need some horses,” he said with a smile.

Jessivel nodded and turned his horse to the side.

“Herris! Send men out to find where these assassins have hidden their horses. They couldn’t have spread out this far without them.”

“Yes, Lord Jessivel,” Herris replied with a salute and then began barking orders of his own.

“Are you mad?” Ayawa scolded Tavis.

Tavis shrugged. “I am tired of running.”

“You're going to trust him?” she added, pointing at Jessivel.

“Gedris said he was telling the truth,” Tavis said. “Besides, if he wanted us to lead him to Gersius, he wouldn't need to trick us into doing it. They have more effective ways to get information.”

“We can’t trust a seeker of Astikar!” Ayawa said.

“You heard what he said. He knows Gersius was ordered to Whiteford. He knows without question the Father Abbot is lying.”

“He is bound by duty to obey the Father Abbot,” Ayawa said.

“So was Gersius all the others, yet they are all on the path of opposing him,” Tavis said.

“This feels wrong,” Ayawa said with a shake of her head.

Tavis put his hands to her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

“Ayawa, you have been under a strange pressure ever since we started this mission. I don’t know what has come over you, but you must see the fact of the matter. He knows the lie for what it is, and we know he is telling the truth. As much as taking him to Gersius feels wrong, we have no reason not to.”

Ayawa sighed and turned her head. “I wanted this mission to go smoothly. We slip in; we alert the others we slip out. We have done anything, but since we started running down the road. I have never felt more clumsy in my life as if I am a completely different person.”

“Well, you took on an adopted daughter halfway through the mission. Now was maybe not the best time to start teaching somebody the way of the winds,” he said intently.

“I couldn’t avoid that,” Ayawa said.

“Why not?” Tavis asked, ignoring the fact that Gedris was right behind him. “Why couldn't you avoid that? You could easily have said no and left her half a dozen times now.”

Ayawa looked back to his eyes and set her jaw. “We have a teaching in my people. When a student who is ready to learn comes, you teach them. No matter what the circumstances or challenges. When one comes who has the right heart and is willing to make the sacrifice, you teach them, or you deny the world the next master.”

“You have never spoken of that with me before,” he said.

Ayawa was silent a second but answered quietly. “It is a teaching from the council of smoke.”

Tavis shook his head in frustration. “That teaching comes from the very women you killed to escape,” Tavis whispered. “You rejected their teachings and fled a long time ago. Besides, do you really think she is ever going to be as good as you?”

Ayawa smiled. “No, I think she will be better. I was never a willing student; I had the lessons beat into me. I admit, I ran from the teachings of the elders, and the seers. I wanted nothing to do with their order or their ridged rules.”

“Then why are you adhering to this one?” he asked.

“Because she can learn,” Ayawa said. “And I may never meet another in my life who can.”

“So now or never?” he asked with a shake of his head.

Ayawa sighed. “I always assumed I would teach my daughter, but the student came now, and I am frightened. I will regret it for the rest of my days if I turn her away.”

Tavis finally understood. This was why she was suddenly so torn over starting a family and teaching Gedris. It was a deep, rooted belief in her culture that everyone had a duty to pass on what they knew. Usually, this was from parent to child, but Ayawa didn't have children. She was desperate to pass on her knowledge and afraid she would never find another who could learn. He was saddened that she felt children of her own might never come to fill the role. Gedris came at the worst possible time and caused no end of trouble. She was a handicap to the mission, but she was vital to Ayawa's soul.

He took a deep breath and nodded his head. “I will support you on this, but you need to trust me and agree to take Jessivel to Gersius.”

Ayawa tensed but relented and nodded in return. “He knows the truth. I just didn't want to complicate our mission any further. Gedris was more than I could handle already.”

Tavis smiled in agreement. “Her timing could not be any worse.”

“Are you two done debating the inevitable?” Jessivel asked.

Ayawa turned on him and pointed a finger his way.

“Two things!” she said firmly. “We are not going straight to Gersius. We have a stop to make first.”

“Fine, and your other criteria?” he asked.

“You and your men stay away from Gedris,” Ayawa said, pointing to the woman behind her.

Jessivel searched them both with calculating eyes for a moment before finally nodding his consent.

“Agreed.”

Ayawa breathed a deep sigh of relief and turned to the woman behind her.

“I assume you heard all that.”

Gedris nodded. “I didn’t know you felt that way about it.”

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Ayawa held up a hand. “I have never agreed to train anyone before. I want you to know. I believe you can learn. You are reckless and stubborn, but you have a willingness to act that few people have.”

Gedris bowed her head slightly at Ayawa’s words.

“I won’t disappoint you,” she said.

Ayawa smiled. “You can't disappoint me unless you give up. You will make mistakes, and you will fail, but so long as you go forward, you can't disappoint.”

Gedris smiled as Ayawa turned back to Jessivel.

“What do you plan to do if we meet any more of your order?” Ayawa said.

Jessivel shrugged. “Unless we stumble on a high bishop of Gersius himself, nobody outranks me.”

“Do you plan to order them away?” Ayawa asked.

“That depends on the situation,” he replied. “All that matters to me right now is keeping you from killing them.”

Ayawa went quiet as Jessivel nodded.

“I know many of the deaths on the road are your doing,” he said with a stern glare.

“Then why are you so eager to help us?” she asked.

“I am a seeker of truth,” Jessivel said. “I am trusting that you are fighting for the truth, and my brothers are dying for the lie. Thus I am serving two roles. I am learning the truth while saving my brothers from any further deaths as a result of the lie.”

Ayawa was quiet as Jessivel sighed.

“Why are the assassins involved?” Tavis asked.

Jessivel perked up and looked down with a smile. “Gersius so has the Father Abbot riled up he has hired anyone he can send after him. Every bounty hunter, sheriff, or shadow group that can run down a man is looking for him. The bounty on his head is so high it will make a king tenfold of the man who brings him in.”

“It’s a wonder you don’t want it yourself,” Ayawa scolded.

“Ayawa?” Tavis said. “He may be a bounty hunter, but he has always been just. We know of no instance where Jessivel ever betrayed the tenants of Astikar.”

Ayawa closed her eyes and took a breath to calm herself.

“Forgive me; I misspoke,” she said after a long exhale.

Jessivel looked away impassively.

“I am touched you honor your friendship with him so strongly,” he said. “It is a credit to his character that he inspires such loyalty.”

“You and Gersius never got along,” Tavis said. “He always said you were too focused on justice and not enough on mercy.”

“Gersius and I are two different orders, but we each serve in our own way. So long as Astikar is honored, those ways are equally as valid.”

Tavis thought about Gersius, and he felt about Astikar right now. It was going to be a shock to Jessivel when he met him.

“So this dragon that Gersius has is friendly?” Jessivel asked.

Tavis smiled and nodded. “She is very friendly and very fond of Gersius. Mind what you say about him while she is around.”

Jessivel smiled at that remark. “You make her sound like a protective wife.”

Ayawa laughed as Tavis tipped his hat back.

“She is something like that like,” Tavis said with a broad smile. “You will not believe it when you meet her.”

“How did he manage to escape and hide her?” Jessivel asked. “I never saw her when I delivered the orders, and nobody I interviewed claimed to have seen her. All they saw was a woman with oddly colored hair.”

Tavis glanced at Ayawa, who shook her head no slightly. They weren't sure it sharing Lilly's secret was wise. They knew Gersius had counted on it to move her safely and revealing it might jeopardize that.

“Gersius will have to tell you that,” Tavis said. “He and that woman have gone to great lengths to keep the dragons hidden.”

“So, the woman is helping him?” Jessivel asked.

“She is,” Ayawa answered for Tavis. “Both of them are.”

Jessivel rocked slightly as his horse stepped to the side.

“Both of them?”

“Gersius has many friends,” Ayawa said to end the questioning. “Several of them came to his aid and have been helping move them along.”

Jessivel nodded as a group of men rode over the hill leading five horses.

“Well, it looks like you won’t have to run after all,” Jessivel said with a smile.

Tavis smiled as Ayawa picked out the most colorful of the horses and sat Gedris on a dull brown with a cream mane. Tavis chose a black with a white stripe on its head and two white feet. The animals were already saddled, and in moments they were up and ready to ride.

“So, where is this stop?” Jessivel asked as Ayawa led the way.

“We are picking up some more allies of Gersius,” Ayawa said. “You need to be on your best behavior, they were attacked by priests of Astikar earlier and are not fond of your order.”

“Why would they be attacked,” Jessivel asked.

Ayawa glanced over at him. “Because they thought one of them might be me.”

“They are from the south then,” he said with a nod. “I saw orders to stop and arrest any women with your skin color.”

“Do you plan to strip the lands bare of its women?” Ayawa asked.

“I am not here to arrest women,” Jessivel replied with a hint of irritation.

Ayawa huffed and spurred her horse on, heading north into the trees.

For hours they rode at a slow pace as the column of men followed behind. Tavis took the time to Speak to Jessivel and ask him about the state of things.

“What is happening with the war?” he asked.

Jessivel shrugged. “I have been hunting for weeks. I have little contact with the front. Last I knew the Doan had stopped in place outside the border keeps. One of the three armies is missing, and scouts were hunting for it in the north.”

“Why would they stop?” Tavis asked.

“Gersius left instructions to harass them with hit and run tactics. He wanted to keep them afraid to move too far to fast. This worked for a little, but they formed up and marched in force. Some of the keeps have been heavily raided by bandersooks, but from what I understand, they are holding strong. But the Doan don't seem to be attacking them. They are waiting for something.”

“So, none of the keeps has fallen?” Tavis asked.

“One of the southern ones was nearly lost. Its commander rode out to meet the enemy on the open plains.”

“What fool would ride into superior numbers on terrain that favors the enemy?” Ayawa quipped.

Jessivel shook his head. “It was a commander from the kingdoms, not the order. You have to remember the vast majority of the soldiers on the line are not brothers. We have very little authority over them.”

“Which is probably why the Doan haven’t won already,” Ayawa stabbed.

“You two were there when Gersius retreated. Is the situation really so hopeless?” Jessivel asked.

“Hopeless?” Ayawa laughed. “You don't have the numbers to hold even one of the Doan's armies. They have three such forces and a handful of smaller skirmishing groups. Gersius beat them back only because he took them by surprises and caught them maneuvering. He then pressed his advantage as long as he could before he realized he was going to be surrounded.”

“I heard he raced back in haste and ordered the defenses bolstered instead of going on the attack,” Jessivel said.

“Ayawa and I scouted for him,” Tavis said. “We found the other two armies closing in around him. If he hadn't run as fast as he could, he would have lost all of his men.”

“The border keeps won't keep them out then,” Jessivel said. “Not with the thin forces they are held with. When they move again, they will find the keeps easy to push aside.”

“That’s why Gersius went to Calathen to rally support. He needs more men, but nobody would listen. The Father Abbot assured the kings the line would be held.”

Jessivel was silent a long moment as he considered that the Father Abbot was why men were withheld.

“And Gersius goes on his mission believing he is saving the people and the order,” Jessivel said with a nod. “Only to be betrayed by both.”

“They did more than betray him,” Ayawa said. “Do you know what they did to him in Whiteford?”

Jessivel was silent, so Ayawa continued. She recounted what she knew of it and then described the escape and the broken body that was Gersius that came out of it. She made sure to describe the scene loudly so all could hear what was done. In particular, she described the Father Abbot sitting in a chair sipping wine as Gersius was tortured.

Captain Herris cursed under his breath, and Jessivel'e eyes took on a murderous glare. Behind him, men of Astikar shifted uneasily in saddles.

She explained the escape across the country but never let on that the woman with blue hair was the dragon. She always let them assume the dragon was with them but hidden whenever they came near a town.

She explained how they fled to Eastgate, where the order of Ulustrah sheltered them after testing the truth.

“So this is why the Father Abbot is striking out at the order of Ulustrah,” Herris said. “Because they know the truth.”

Jessivel was silent, but his face looked like a man ready to kill.

“So, what is Gersius's plan then?” Jessivel asked.

“Oh no,” Ayawa replied. “If he wants to share that with you, that will be his choice. We don't even know the full details of that.”

“He can’t go to Calathen,” Herris added. “He will never get near the city.”

“No,” Jessivel agreed. “He would be a fool to try. Dragon or no dragon, he won't set foot in Calathen.” He was silent again as he pondered the thought. “But then, that is exactly where he is going.”

“What?” Herris said as he turned in the saddle. “The raven guard is all over Calathen.”

“Gersius isn't afraid of the raven guard,” Jessivel surmised. “And he is a man of duty. He hasn't completed his mission yet. He is going to Calathen.”

“You just said he would be a fool to try,” Herris said. “Calathen is the most heavily defended city in the known land. Its walls have never been breached.”

Jessivel glanced at him as he considered those words. “Gersius will find a way.”

“He will have to bloody well grow wings and fly over it,” Herris replied. “Even with a dragon, he won't' make it. The walls will be covered with priests and archers. This dragon will be filled with arrows and hammers before it passes over them.”

“He isn’t going over the wall,” Jessivel said. “He is going right through the golden gate.”

Herris laughed as he shook his head. “Not even Gersius could charge the golden gate.”

Jessivel smiled to hear the disbelief. “Gersius is going to follow the prophecy, and the prophecy says he goes through the golden gate.”

“Maybe after they drag his dead body through it,” Herris remarked.

“Maybe,” Jessivel agreed. He could not see how Gersius was going to get through the gate. Prophecy or not, the gate’s were impregnable and so heavily fortified no army in history had ever tried to break them.

They continued to debate if the city could be taken when Ayawa crested a hill and froze. Jessivel came up beside her with his Herris and looked down into a valley.

“Damn!” she cried through gritted teeth.

A large group of soldiers in mail and tower shields stood in two double rows. Between them sitting on the ground with hands tied was a pack of Southern warriors. A group of six Priests stood to the side in tense conversation. Another twenty men with longbows stood in formation behind them.

“I take it these are your friends,” Jessivel said.

“We have to abandon them,” Ayawa said. “We can’t risk a fight with that many.”

Jessivel studied the crowd and did a quick count. “It looks like no more than fifty men.”

“Do you plan to charge your own brothers?” Ayawa questioned.

Jessivel shook his head. “No, I plan to relieve them of their captives.”

Ayawa glanced at Tavis, and he shrugged, not understanding.

“Quickly, give you weapons to Herris and ride in the middle.”

“I’m not giving you my weapons!” Ayawa snapped.

“I need you to appear as our captives,” Jessivel said. “Then, we march down, and I offer to take the rest of them with me to Calathen.”

“Why would you be taking us to Calathen?” Ayawa asked.

He smiled. “Where else would I be taking the actual Ayawa. At the very least, they won't have any reason to detain your friends if I have the real one.”

Ayawa scowled, but Tavis prevailed by drawing his swords and handing them over.

“Ayawa, it’s a good plan to avoid more killing. Let him make them think he captured us.”

Ayawa shook visibly as she handed over her bow and her knives. She let the knights walk around her and then take the leads of her horse so they would appear to be nothing more than captives.

“Let me talk to them,” Jessivel said. “Hold that sharp tongue of yours.”

“You betray us, and I guarantee you something sharp will cut your tongue from your mouth,” Ayawa growled.

Jessivel glared and kicked his horse into a trot and led the column down. As they approached, they got more of the details of the scene. Two crows knelt with the rest of his people, giving the soldiers a murderous glare. There were twenty horses with packs and equipment loaded up nearby. A pile of weapons lay behind the soldiers, and the priests of Astikar were pointing out the women and making comments. There were three additional horses behind the priests. Three to four women stood behind each of these, gagged and with hands tied. They each had a rope that connected them to a horse to drag them along.

“Priestesses,” Gedris whispered.

“Keep your head,” Ayawa warned. “If this turns into a fight, it will be costly.”

“Just let them believe you're my prisoners,” Jessivel said as they rode upon the knights.

“Hail brothers of Astikar,” Jessivel said as he arrived.

The six men saluted with arms over chests as they saw the plumage of his rank.

“Hail Lord Seeker,” one of the men said.

“I see you have captured some enemies of our faith,” Jessivel said as he stood tall and emotionless in the saddle.

“Aye, my Lord,” the man said. “Caught them in a trap and took them without a fight.”

“You outnumber them five to one with heavy infantry,” Jessivel said. “I doubt they would have put up a fight even if you hadn’t trapped them.”

The man stiffened at the remark but nodded his head in agreement.

“So why did you stop the southern people?” Jessivel asked after the nod.

“We are following the Father Abbots command to round up anyone who could be Ayawa friend of Gersius.”

Jessivel nodded. “I am afraid to tell you that you don’t have her.”

“My lord, any of these women could be Ayawa,” the man said.

Jessivel laughed and turned in his saddle. “No captain, they can't because that woman there,” he said as he pointed right at her. “Is Ayawa”

The priests gathered to stare at her and mutter between themselves.

“The man is Tavis, and the woman is an Ulustrahn accomplice who was helping them. I am taking them all to Calathen for questioning.”

“He bloody caught them all?” a priest muttered.

“Damn seekers,” another man said under his breath.

“This rabble you have here might be responsible for an attack a few days ago. I will take them with me to Calathen.”

“And the women,” Gedris said before Ayawa swatted the back of her head.

Jessivel looked over his shoulder at her and glared with such a cold stare she went pale. He turned back the priests and nodded to the women tied to horses.

“All priestesses?”

“Aye Lord Seeker,” the man said. “We were taking them to the camp near Bellsmith.”

“Camp?” Jessivel questioned.

The priest nodded. “The camps to hold the women of Ulustrah?” he said questioningly. “Surely, you are aware?”

“I have been deep in the south commons hunting this venomous rabbit. I haven’t received an order or update in weeks.”

“I see,” the captain said. “The order has set up camps to hold the women of Ulustrah. The area is warded with a weave that blocks their power. If you want, we can take that one off your hand and take her to the camp so you can go on to Calathen.”

Jessivel glanced at Herris, and silently the two communicated with little gestures. Jessivel finally nodded and turned back the man before him.

“Who runs this camp?” Jessivel asked as he leaned over in his saddle.

“They are being run by the local lords in most cases. The Father Abbot is paying them to hold the women safely.”

“No priests?” Jessivel asked.

“There’s scarcely any priests to spare,” the man said. “The temples have been stripped from here to the eastern sands of every possible man. Every search party has two to six priests at most.”

Jessivel nodded. “So how do you know these women are well taken care of?”

The man sputtered a moment and looked lost. “Because they are being paid.”

Jessivel narrowed his eyes and gave the man the same deadly look. “You are leaving huge groups of women alone at the mercy of some lecherous noble, and not a single priest is there to see that mercy and justice are kept?”

The man shook his head. “My Lord Seeker, I have my orders. I have been assured that they are well cared for.”

“I will seek my own assurances,” Jessivel said sourly. “I will take the women to this camp myself. I want to see under what condition they are being kept.”

“Of course, Lord Seeker. I will form up the men and march them behind your horses.”

Jessivel twitched. He wanted the captives but not the soldiers. It made more sense for the soldiers to escort them and help deliver them to the camp, but that would complicate things.

“No captain,” he said as he thought fast. “I need your men to go south to Harsonfell. I have heard a rumor that our temples there were attacked. I have no time to investigate this rumor myself, but if it's true, you will bolster the temples until order is restored.”

The knights were silent a moment until one of them finally nodded. “Of course, Lord Seeker.”

“Herris, have the women transferred to our extra horses and have those weapons secured on the pack animals. We will bring it all with and deliver it for the war effort.”

“Duncan, Millis, Gregor!” Herris shouted as he dispensed the orders.

“My Lord Seeker,” a second priest said as he walked up. “It will be dangerous for you to take so many, even with the force you possess.”

Jessivel was as emotionless as a statue as he turned to the man.

“I am not the orders best seeker for nothing brother. I ran down two of the most dangerous allies of Gerisus, the traitor, and they will tell me where to find him. My men and I can handle this rabble. If they give me any trouble, they can all travel as the women do.”

The cold, impassive reply seemed to have the desired effect as the man stepped back, unwilling to comment.

“Cold as a mountain top,” a man said in a whisper.

Jessivel would have smiled at the remark if his mind wasn't already thinking of this camp. Women were herded and rendered powerless before being left in the care of local lords? The same local lords who were often accused of terrible abuses of power? How had his order sunk so low? Why was the Father Abbot on a path of madness? He pondered this thought as the women were transferred, and the animals lined up. He then marched his column around the southern warriors and lined them up on foot. With a final salute to the men, he marched away, leading them off with a dark glare in his eyes.

As they traveled, Two Crows made his way to Ayawa and walked beside her horse.

“They will force you to reveal where this Gersius is,” he whispered.

“Just keep calm for a little bit,” Ayawa whispered back.

Two Crows nodded and glanced to her leg, seeing the blade hidden there.

“You managed to hide a blade in your boot,” he whispered. “Lift your leg to me, and I will cut myself and others free so they won't notice. We can take them by surprise from within.”

Ayawa glared down at him and shook her head. “Just keep walking and don’t cause a commotion.”

“What? Why?” he asked.

“Because your being rescued,” Ayawa said. “Now, keep in line and wait until we're safely away.”

Two Crows fell back and whispered to the others as the column marched around a bend in the road.

Once they were a mile down the road, Jessivel turned to the men.

“Cut those women loose and get those damn gags out of their mouths!”

The column stopped, and men dismounted to free the poor women.

“You,” Jessivel said, pointing to the southern warriors. “Hold your arms up so my men can cut your binds. Then get your gear and arm yourselves.”

“What is going on here?” Two Crows asked as he turned to look at Ayawa.

“They are here to help us,” Ayawa. “They are friends, I think.”

“You will never trust me, will you?” Jessivel asked.

Ayawa sighed as she hopped down and drew a knife to cut Two Crows free.

“You are allies of the priests of Astikar, and yet you fight them?” Two Crows asked.

“Not all of them are bad,” Ayawa scolded. “They believe their Father Abbot is just and are following his orders.”

“Why did you set us free?” a woman called from the back.

Jessivel turned his horse around and rode down the column to address the glaring women of Ulustrah.

“I am not a party to the madness that is sweeping my order. You are free to go where you want, but I recommend you don't go back to your temples.”

“Wait,” Gedris said. “They should come with us.”

“Jessivel turned to face her and shook his head. “You need to learn to hold your tongue. You nearly aroused suspicion back there.”

Ayawa walked up beside her horse with Two Crows rubbing his wrist. “She is my responsibility. She will learn her place.”

Jessivel studied her again and finally relented.

“This is your march, do you want the women then?” he asked her.

Ayawa let out a sigh of frustration. “There is no point in trying to remain hidden with so large a force. If they want to fight, they are welcome to come. Otherwise, they need to scatter. We have no room for mice when the red hawk of Astikar is about.”

“Fight what?” the woman asked. “The order of Astikar? All the local armies and militias? What possible chance do we have?”

Ayawa looked to Tavis for support, and he turned his horse about and rode down the line.

“We are building an army for Gersius so he can put an end to this madness. He plans to march on Calathen and replace the Father Abbot with a man of noble heart.”

Jessivel smiled as he looked at Herris, who shook his head and muttered the word impossible.

“Any of you who wish to aid him in this are welcome to join us,” Tavis said. “But, you will be walking into a war.”

“We are already in a war!” the woman spat. “My temple was burned!”

“So was ours,” two other women added.

“Then you join our group, and we march to certain bloodshed,” Ayawa said. “You will fight and die under the banner of Gersius.”

Heads nodded as the women looked between one another.

“None of us has our armor or weapons,” one the women said. “How will we fight a war with no equipment?”

“We will figure that out on the way there,” Ayawa said. “For right now, we need to plan our next move.”

“I already know our next move,” Jessivel said.

Ayawa turned on him and folded her arms over her chest.

“And what’s that?”

Jessivel smiled and leaned over to make his point clear. “We’re going to liberate that camp.